The Forum for Accountability and Equal Justice in Northern Ghana (FOAEJU-GH), has asked Mr Robert Boazor Tampoare, a member of Unique Mining Group, to release to owners of mining concession their share of compensation, which was paid by the Earl International Group Ghana, for allegedly trespassing on their concessions.
The affected persons from Gbani, a mining community in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region, accused Mr Tampoare, a supposed Regional Chairman of the Small-scale Miners Association of Ghana, of squandering $150,000 expected to be shared among eight members of the Unique Mining Group.
At the news conference, the acting Chairman for the Unique Mining Group and member of FOAEJU-GH, Abdulai Amaligo, last Friday, called on the Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, to ensure that Mr Tampoare give members their fair share of the compensation.
He said that the minister handed $150,000 to Mr Tampoare at the office of the minister, at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), in Bolgatanga, in July 2021.
Mr Amaligo said the minister, acting as a mediator between the small scale miners and Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited, formerly called Shaanxi Mining Company Limited, took some monies for onward disbursement to all concessioners whose mine concessions were afflicted by Shaanxi mines, which went into large scale mining in 2019.
Acting Chairman for the Unique Mining Group, said the group did not sanction any negotiation between Mr Tampoare and the Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited on the ‘trespass’ monies paid by the company.
He said that Mr Tampoare after defying advice to desist from his unilateral negotiations with the company, acted together with the Upper East Regional Minister, and the duo reached a $150,000 deal with the company.
“Our financier, Boyak Kolog Zongdan told us that the said amount ($150,000) was paid to the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Yakubu. Surprisingly, the Regional Minister chose to pay the monies to Robert Boazor Tampoare in person without our consent,” Mr Amaligo alleged.
He said the group has given Mr Yakubu a two-week ultimatum to impress upon Mr Tampoare to pay the compensation or risk facing the wrath of members.
Mr Amaligo said Tampoare, the man at the centre of the accusation, has been arrested by the Bolgatanga Divisional Police Command, and subsequently handed over to the Regional Police Command, to assist with investigations.
Meanwhile, the Development Research and Advocacy Centre, a Bolgatanga based civil society organisation, has petitioned the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice, to investigate the Regional Minister for allegedly abusing his office and engaging in false representation, and “using his office to get the lump sum compensation paid into the bank account of the RCC, with account number: 9011130014513, for onward disbursement to the concession owners.”
However, Mr Yakubu in his response, denied all allegations levelled against him, describing them as vexatious, baseless and unfounded.
According to him the people, styled themselves as aggrieved small scale miners, who had not received their share of the compensation, were only sponsored by his detractors to drag his name into disrepute.
According to Mr Yakubu, he had no authority to compel Mr Tampoare to pay disgruntled members their monies, and asked the accusers to have faith with the police who had already commenced probe into the matter.
FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, BOLGATANGA
